Quick-acting valve



pt. i, w. J, 0. JACKSON QUICK ACTING VALVE Filed April 11, 19% s sheaw sheet L M- a" w 7&4 ATTORNEYS J. Q. JACKSON QUICK ACTING VALVE 3 Shams-51mm 2 Filed April 11, 1946 19W ATTORNEYS J. JACKSQN ,9fi4

I QUICK ACTING VALVE Filed. April ll, 19% 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Patented Sept. 21, 1948 .UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE omcn scmva VALVE James 0. Jackson, Craiton, Pa., minor to Pitta burgh-Des Moines Company, a corporation of Pennsylvania of complicated stop mechanism.

mutation April 11, 1940, Serial No. 661.224 11 Claims. (Cl. 137-139) cause such mechanisms to stop by means oi.

bumpers, pressure cylinders, auxiliary springs or other shock absorbing devices.

While these prior mechanisms have been satisfactory for relatively slow moving valves or valves of relatively light mass or inertia, they have not been satisfactory for the actuation of valves having considerable mass or inertia. particularly when it is necessary to operate such valves quickly.

For example. there has been no mechanism, so far as I am aware, capable of moving an eight inch valve from fully closed position to. fully open position within a time interval such as one 25th of a second and then immediately. moving such valve from fully open to fully closed position within a similar time interval. With prior devices, where sufilciently large forces have been employed to cause the valve to fully open within such a short time interval, the actuating mechanism has had such alarge amount of inertia, that either some part thereof has been seriously damaged when stopped very quickly, or very elaborate or costly supplemental apparatus was necessary to dissipate the stored energy.

An object of this invention is to produce an improved quick acting valve and actuating mechanism therefor.

A further object is to produce a valve and valve actuating mechanism by means of which a valve having relatively great mass and inertia. may be opened, or opened and closed, within a relatively short interval of time without shock to the actuating mechanism or the valve and without the use Another object is to produce mechanism for quickly opening a rotating disk valve in which the disk is of relatively great weight, and then quickly closing the same without shock to such mechanism.

A further object is to produce mechanism for actuating a rotating disk valve in which the means producing the actuatingforce is utilized in eliminating shock due to stopping rotation of the valve disk.

A still further and more limited object is to produce mechanism in which a spring isutilized as the source of power for quickly rotating the disk of a rotating disk valve, from fully closed to fully open position and then from fully open to fully closed position and in which such spring is also utilized to eliminate shock due to stopping rotation of the valve disk.

These and other objects which will be apparent to those skilled in this particular art. I attain by means of the device or apparatus described in the specification and illustrated in the drawings accompanying and forming part of this application.

In the drawings:

Figure l is a rear elevational view of a device or apparatus embodying this invention;

Fig. 2 is a view partially in section. and partially in elevation and is taken on line 11-11 of Fig. l. but with the valve in open position and the valve actuating mechanism in inoperative or intermediate position;

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section of the valve body oi the device and flanged pipes to which the body is bolted. This view illustrates the valve disk in fully closed position and is taken on line III-III of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a front elevational view of a portion of the device looking toward the front or operator's side and can be said to be taken from line IV-IV of Fig. 2;

Fig. 5 is a detail view of a portion of the device taken on line V-V of Fig. 2; and

Fig. 6 is a schematic wiring diagram of the electrical circuit of the device.

In the device of the drawings. which has been chosen as one embodiment of this invention, a valve body i provided with a spherical seat 2 is inserted in a pipe line 3 as shown in Fig. 3. The valve body is located between the pipe flanges and is secured in position by a circular series of bolts 6. A valve disk 5 rigidly secured to a shaft t is provided with a spherical peripheral edge which is machined to fit the spherical valve seat with a minimum permissible clearance.

Shaft 6 is journaled for rotation within bearings in the valve body and has one end. extended through and beyond the valve body. A valve operating lever arm 1 rigidly secured to shaft 6, is provided with a circular disk-like portion la, having opposed peripheral notches 8 and 8.

A tension spring it, having one end connected to a rotatable crank pin ll carried by lever arm 1 adjacent its outer end, has its opposite end secured to one end of an eye bolt 02 which passes through an opening in a support member is pivotally mounted on a pivoted spring tensioning nuts l threaded to the eye bolt on opposite sides of the support member.

The operating or rotational speed of valve disk 3 can be controlled in two ways, one by adjusting the tension of spring ID by means of nuts I! and the other by varying the amplitude of movement of spring tensioning arm l4. The dotted line position of lever arm 1, indicated by lb, is the position said lever arm takes when valve disk 3 is in of! position or has been rotated 180 from its closed or starting position. If valve disk 5 is in closed position when the parts are as indicated in Fig. 1 by full lines then it is again in closed position when operating lever 1 reaches the dotted line position indicated by lb. Complete closing of the valve at the proper time is facilitated because of the width of the spherical seat in the valve body which permits of overtravel of lever l, with'the disk still in closed position.

When operating lever l is in dotted line position, the valve is fully closed and, in order to cause the valve to again quickly open and quickly close, it is only necessary to swing the spring tensioning arm l4 to dotted line position Ma and operate the valve release mechanism to be later referred to.

Spring tensioning arm I4 is rigidly connected to a. rock shaft l3, and is swung from one spring tensiomng position to the other by a gear set comprising a worm wheel l'l, keyed to the outer end of shaft l3 and a worm l3 meshing with such wheel and which is rotated by a hand wheel l3. This hand wheel and gear set is utilized to stress spring l3 and place it in position to rotate the valve disk.

With the spring tensioning arm in the position shown by full lines in Fig. 1, lever arm I, when released, will be moved clockwise b spring Ill and when in the position indicated by dotted lines |4a, lever arm I, when again released, will be moved counterclockwise by spring l0.

Notch 3 in the peripheral edge of circular portion la. of valve disk operating lever l is adapted to be engaged by pawl 20 as shown in Figs. 1 and 5, when the valve disk is in one stop position andnotch 3 is adapted to be engaged by pawl 2| when the valve disk is in its other stop position and lever l is in dotted line position lb. I

Pawls 20 and 2| are each mounted on the reduced end of one of a pair of support studs 22 which project horizontally from the frame of the device, and each pawl is provided with a base portion which projects forwardly of the pawl body as disclosed in the drawings. The base for pawl 20 is numbered 23 while that for pawl 2| is numbered 24. Compression springs 25, one located between each such base portion and a support 23 secured to and projecting horizontally from 1 the frame of the device, yieldingly hold the pawls pawls 20 and 2|.

With the parts in the position shown in Fig. l, in which pawl 23 is shown latching the valve disk in one of its stop positions, and with spring ill biased toward its other stop position, the rocking of shaft 33 counterclockwise by hand lever 3| to depress base 23 against the stress of spring 23 will unlatch operating lever I and permit spring III to rotate the valve disk to its second stop position in which lever 1 occupies its dotted line position lb and with pawl 2| engaging notch 3.

In order to prevent improper manipulation of hand lever 3|, means is provided for normally locking such lever against movement and in vertical position as shown in Fig. 4. Support member 23 directly below the axis of rock shaft 33 is drilled to receive a bushing 34. A plunger rod 35 mounted for reciprocation within such bushing and an opening in a bracket 33 is yieldingly forced toward rock shaft 30 by means of a. helical compression spring 31. This spring surrounds plunger rod 35 and is confined between bracket 36 and a collar 33 which is pinned to the plunger rod.

Hub portion 29 of the trigger device is provided with a'socket for receiving the upper end of the plunger rod as disclosed by dotted lines at 33 in Figs. 1 and 2. Unlocking of the trigger device and therefore hand lever 3|, is accomplished by means of a. solenoid 43 which when energized, causes the plunger rod to be withdrawn from its socket within the hub of the trigger device.

A curved angle-shaped member 4| supported centrally above the valve device by means of a frame as shown in Fig. 1, has one leg 4|a thereof extending vertically. Adjacent each end, leg 4|a is provided with a series of spaced bolt holes 42. Limit switches 43 and 44, bolted in position within such bolt holes act as adjustable stops for determining the amplitude of movement of spring tensioning arm l4.

Arm l4 at its outer end is provided with a pair of, limit switch contact members 45 and these contact members are. provided with a steadying 4 finger 46 which is spaced from arm l4 and extends behind leg 4 la. The stop positions of spring tensioning arm l4, and therefore the amplitude of movement of such'arm, are determined by the position of the adjustable stops; in this case, limit switches 43 and 44.

In the electrical power circuit disclosed in Fig. 6, limit switches 43 and 44 are operated by contact members 45 on spring tensioning arm l4, and limit switches 21 and 23 are operated by pawl bases 23 and 24. Limit switches 21 and 23 are normally open, while limit switches 43 and 44 are normally closed. The position of switches 43 and 44 is made adjustable to meet different operating conditions and to cause the valve disk to stop each time it is in closed position where it is locked by engagement of pawls 20 or 2|, as the case may be, with notches 3 or 3 at the end of each cycle.

A push button 41 having an indicating light 43 is included in the electrical circuit and is adapted to be manually operated to energize solepawl. V

With the parts in the position shown in Figure 1, switches 44 and 21 are closed. If solenoid .40 is energized by operating push button 41 and the tripper is operated to release lever i (by depressing pawl 20) lever 1 will be moved to dotted line position lb. Now, if lever. 3| is recentered or moved to vertical position so that latch plunger 34 is re-engaged, switch 21 will be opened and switch 28 closed, since pawl 2| will drop into notch 9. Solenoid 40 cannot then be energized without moving spring tensioning lever 14 to dotted line position Ma so as to open switch 44 and close switch 43.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a quick acting valve device, a valve body, a valve disk mounted-for rotation within such body and having a mounting shaft, one end of which extends through and beyond said body, a lever attached to such shaft end and extending at right angles to the axis of rotation of said disk, a member rotatable with said disk and having spaced pawl engaging notches defining two stop positions for said disk, spring actuated pawls for alternately engaging said notches to latch said disk in its two stop positions, a spring stressing agent movable to either side of a line perpendicular to the axis of rotation of said disk and intermediate its stop positions, a spring having one end operatively connected to said lever and the other end operatively connectedto said pivoted agent, and a device for unlatching said notched member; the constructure and arrangement being such that when the valve disk is latched in one stop position and said agent is moved to bias said spring toward the other stop position to stress the spring, and the valve disk is unlatched, said disk will be rotated to its second stop position and said spring, after passing its position of least stress, will again be stressed, andsuch stressing is utilized to eliminate shock due to stopping rotation of the valve disk. I

2. A structure as defined in claim 1, in which the spring stressing agent takes the form of a pivoted arm having its pivot point adjacent the valve body. a

3. A structure as defined in claim 1, in which the valve body is provided with a'seat formed as a sectionof a hollow sphere.

4. A structure as defined in claim 1 in which the valve body is provided with a seat formed as a section 01' a hollow sphere and the peripheral edge of the valve disk-is formed as a section of a solid sphere.

5. A structure as defined in claim 1, in which the valve disk operating spring is helical.

6. A structure as defined in claim 1, in which the tension of the valve disk operating spring is adjustable.

7. A structure as defined in claim- 1, in which the tension of the valve disk operating spring can be varied by varying the amplitude of movement of the spring stressing agent. a

8. A structure as defined in claim 1, in which the notched member is formed as part of the lever attached to the valve mounting shaft. I

9. A structure as defined in claim 1, in which the valve is fully closed in both stop positions of the valve disk.

10. A structure as defined in claim 1, in which the device for unlatching the notched. member is manually operable.

11. A structure as defined in claim 1, in which the device for unlatching the notched member is mounted on a manually rockable shaft.

12. A structure as defined in claim 1, in which the rotatable notched member is circular, the

notches are located in its peripheral edge and the pawls bear against said edge.

13. A structure as defined in claim 1, in which the line to either side of which the spring stressing agent is movable is midway between the stop positions of the valve disk.

14. Astructure as defined in claim 1, in which the valve disk operating spring is operatively connected to the spring stressing agent by adevice employing an adjustable turnbuckle.

15. A structure as defined in claim 1, in which the device for unlatching the notched member is normally locked against movement.

16. A structure as defined in claim 1, in which the spring stressing agent takes the form of a pivoted arm having its pivot point above the valve body.

17. A structure as defined in claim 1, .in which the spring stressing agent takes the form of a pivoted arm having its pivot point above the valve body and located in a plane common to the axes of rotation of the valve disk and said manually 

